India is emerging as a leader in the rapid recovery of international tourism within the Asia-Pacific region. According to the May 2024 UNWTO barometer, tourist arrivals in India have reached 89% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024, highlighting one of the region’s most robust recoveries. This significant rebound underscores India’s growing attractiveness as a global travel destination.
To enhance its status as a top choice for sustainable and responsible tourism, the Ministry of Tourism has developed a National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism. This comprehensive strategy is founded on several key pillars:
In support of this strategy, the Ministry has revitalized the Swadesh Darshan scheme with the introduction of Swadesh Darshan 2.0. This initiative aims to establish a thorough framework for the integrated development of tourism destinations, in collaboration with State and UT governments, as well as local authorities, to promote sustainable and responsible tourism nationwide.
Swadesh Darshan 2.0 has identified 57 destinations across 32 States and UTs for development, as detailed in Annexure-I.
Under this sub-scheme, 42 destinations have been selected across four categories:
Detailed information about the destinations under the Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar categories is available in Annexure-II.
ANNEXURE-I
List of Destinations Identified Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0:
ANNEXURE-II
List of Destinations Identified Under Challenge Based Destination Development in the Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar Category:
